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TECHNIQUE CLASS Baking Flaky Pastries with Phyllo Dough P hyllo is a versatile dough. The paper-thin sheets can be rolled or folded into all kinds of whimsical shapes around sweet or savory fillings for appetizers, main courses, and desserts. Phyllo can also stand in for doughs that are difficult to make, such as puff pastry and strudel dough. What I especially like is that the resulting buttery, crisp, golden layers seem like they were hard to achieve. But with a few hints about handling-the most impor- tant being not to let the dough dry out-using phyllo is easy. Phyllo (pronounced FEE- loh and sometimes spelled filo or fillo) means "leaf" in Greek. The thin sheets are usually about 12 inches wide creates moisture that may cause the sheets to dampen and stick together. After the phyllo has thawed in the refrigerator, letting it sit for an hour or so at room temperature makes the sheets even easier to unroll. To get phyllo to perform at its best, thaw it slowly, keep it covered, and butter it quickly. and 16 to 20 inches long. You'll find the sheets, rolled to fit into long, thin cardboard boxes, in your supermarket's frozenfood section near the pie crusts and puff pastry. For the best tex- Versatile phyl/o dough can be made into many shapes and will hold sweet or savory fillings. Shown here: a slice of rolled strudel, folded triangles, and a molded cup. ture, defrost phyllo slowly. Leave the dough sealed in the refrig- erator for at least 12 hours before using it. Thawing phyllo at room temperature How to handle phyllo to keep it supple COVER THE SHEETS TO KEEP THEM SUPPLE Phyllo right out of its box is supple and easy to work with. But because the dough contains no eggs and is stretched so thin, it lacks flexibility and becomes brittle when exposed to air for even a few minutes. To keep the sheets from drying and tearing, don't take them out of their package until the last possible moment. Have ready all your ingre- Keep phyl/o dough covered so it won't dry out. Work with one sheet at a time; cover the rest with plastic and a moistened kitchen towel. 18 Brush the dough with melted butter to keep it supple. Begin by buttering the edges, which dry out faster, and then work toward the center. Cut the dough to size with a sharp knife or scissors. Buttering and layering the sheets before cutting is faster and keeps the phyllo more pliable. Repair tears by pasting on a piece of phyl/o from an extra sheet with melted butter. You'll never see the flaw once the pastry is baked. FINE COOKING